The Puerto Rican Cuatro Project
CULTURAL ARCHIVES
FOLKLORIC RESEARCH
EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTS
The Puerto Rican cuatro now belongs to the world
The once rustic instrument of the Puerto Rican jíbaro is now an international phenomenon!
LANGUAGE
IDIOMA
Jon Anderson
The singer and founder of the world-famous English rock supergroup Yes, Jon Anderson, began using a cuatro in 1977 on the Going for the One Tour, where you can see him playing it here, alongside the great guitarist Steve Howe, who is seen playing a Spanish lute. Anderson also played his Puerto Rican cuatro on the track titled "Madrigal" from the Yes album Tormato, and on "Turn of the Century," as follows:
The English singer Jon Anderson from the band YES, on stage playing his Puerto Rican cuatro (a type of guitar).
Pete Brandt
The versatile composer, arranger, bassist, and cuatro player Pete Brandt from Bristol, England, has produced a number of CDs that highlight his affinity for the Puerto Rican cuatro.
Brandt perfectly blends his eclectic musical style with the sonic nuances of the national instrument, and in his hands, we hear the cuatro in an unusual and innovative way.
Listen to the examples included below to hear how Brandt pairs his cuatro with a bass, as well as a bandoneon, vibraphone, ukulele, and Persian drums. Get ready to hear our cuatro like you've never heard it before!
The wonderful English instrumentalist Pete Brandt plays his cuatro built by William Cumpiano.
Jeff Kust
Guitarist Jeff Kust, of Czechoslovakian descent, has distinguished himself as a classical guitar soloist around the world. His base of operations is Chicago, where he has performed as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He remains in demand as an instrumentalist for theater orchestras, as a teacher, and as an arranger. As he told us, he "accidentally fell in love with the Puerto Rican cuatro." The great city of Chicago is home to a large Puerto Rican community, where he saw a used cuatro in a shop and bought it for $50. He discovered that the cuatro combined the best qualities of the mandolin with the best qualities of a twelve-string guitar. The cuatro changed his musical life. He incorporated the cuatro, as well as the tiple, into his professional repertoire and became a student of the traditional cuatro repertoire. He played the Greek bouzouki part on his cuatro with the orchestra for the theatrical production of Fiddler on the Roof in Chicago. The cuatro drew him into the Puerto Rican community, and he became assistant director, arranger, and teacher for the Chicago Cuatro Orchestra, with which he has traveled to Puerto Rico and the states of Georgia, Indiana, Oregon, Iowa, and New York.
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Listen to some arrangements he made for the cuatro; one by Rok and two of English Christmas music:
Master guitarist/cuatro player/tiplista Jeff Kust with his students in the Hispanic community of Chicago, Illinois, playing his "skinny cuatro" made by William Cumpiano.
Nick Radina
With over 25 years of experience, this multifaceted musician, sound engineer, and author based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has forged a diverse career that spans from monitor engineering for the band O.A.R. to co-founding the "Salsa on the Square" festival. In addition to his technical expertise at major festivals and corporate events, he excels as a performer of the Puerto Rican cuatro and timbales, contributes to leading professional audio publications, and develops tools for industry specialists. His profile combines extensive experience in the entertainment industry with an active creative side.
Colin Heaney
Liverpool, England-based guitarist Colin Heaney fell in love with the Puerto Rican cuatro and teamed up with ukulele player Peter McPartland. Together, they create the lush, silky sound of their cuatro, ukulele, and keyboard group, which they named The Big I Am. They have received praise from the country's largest radio station, the BBC. They primarily perform music composed by Heaney in clubs, theaters, and on recordings.
Gil Skillman
Massachusetts musician Gil Skillman plays a Puerto Rican cuatro in his Irish music ensemble. The cuatro takes the part in the Irish groups that would normally be played by the mandolin or bouzouki. In the photo, we see Gil playing the cuatro made for him by luthier Harry Becker of Massachusetts.
Here you can hear a short recording of Gil Skillman testing his cuatro and commenting on his instrument:
(Photo by W. Cumpiano)
Paul Kaplan
Folk musician Paul Kaplan is also the director of the Pioneer Valley Folklore Society of Western Massachusetts. Paul fell under the spell of the Puerto Rican cuatro and plays his traditional Irish tunes on it.
The blend is perfect, as you can hear in the following selection:
Paul Kaplan plays Greenwood Lassie on his Puerto Rican cuatro.
Paul Kaplan frequently plays his Puerto Rican cuatro on stage with his band from Great Britain (center).